Collar and cuff



May s, 1923.

.F. W. TULLY COLLAR AND CUFF Filed Sept. 2, 1921 Patented May 8, 1928.

FRANCIS W. TULLY, O1 BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

COLLAR AND curr.

Application filed September 2, 1921. Serial No. 497,891.

This invention relates to collars and cuffs, which. may be of the kind attached to the garment with which they are worn permanently by sewing,.or of the kind attached 5 replaceably by buttons or other fasteners,

and to the method of making them.

The prior art as heretofore practised has rovidcd garments of the classreferred to intended to be worn in a soft state without laundry starching; garments intended to be starched; and imitation garments of the stiff type, made of a fabric and additions of one sort or another, such as heavy coatings of white pigments and binders of celluloid,

" rubber and other hard calendered substances, which sometimes have been embossed to take the appearance of the cloth they are supposed to imitate. v

None of these types of collar or. cuff is really satisfactory. The soft type, consisting of the cloth only, is' subject to rumpling, and cons uently soiling, after slight use. The soft fa rics also cling to the wrist or the neck of the wearer in an uncomfortable manner, so that, although their vogue is for summer wear, it is the fact that this type of collar or cuff is warmer endless comfortable to-wear in summer than the stiff collars upon which it is supposed .to. be

,an improvement. With certain. informal summer clothing, however, the present sense of appropriate dressing calls for a soft negl-igee collar and cuff, and there is demand for a more eflicient article of this nl he stiif starched collar, while of good, if of too formal, appearance, still remains exceedingly perishable,,being subject to wilting under the moisture of. perspiration or damp weather, so that one of these collars or -,cufl's can seldom be worn a whole day with satisfaction. Soft collars, worn without starching, obviously are open to this objection to a less extent than stifi' collars, since the normal appearance of the soft collar as heretofore made is rumpledv despite the various well-known expedients for m'aintaining unstarched collars in a decently neat conditionf fore relied upon comprise starching'gjtoff a considerable stiffness and. flattening in,

.by certain forms only of collars andcufis,

The laundry finishing operations hereto type and in less degree with other types damage by wear during laundry 0 erations is excessive, the average garment eing capable of being worn only a few times before the cleansing operation destroys it.

The imitation-fabric collars and cuffs are not really deceptive, and their use is associated in the public mind with careless personal habits. V

It is therefore highly desirable satisfactorily to replace the limp soft collar and cuff and the'heavilv' starched stifi' collar and cuff with textile-fa ric or genuine articles of this sort which shall be cleanly, of good apperance and not subject to rapid damage in use, and capable 0 being refreshed in a simpler way than the laundry operations required for a stiff collar.

The present invention provides a way of retaining the shape of a collar or cuff of this general type and preserving its appear ance in use until sufiiciently soiled to necessitate' laundering.

This invention therefore has for its principal object to provide a collar or cufi' adapted to resist rumpling, soiling and the effects of moisture or perspiration, and

adapted to be cleansed and refreshed by ordinary washing, with or without pressing; to avoid starching; to minimize the laundry wear; and in the caseof soft or negligee collars, to provide against the discomfort of limp and c inging fabrics next the skin; and to provide an improved mode of making such garments.

A- further object of the invention is to provide a genus of collars and cuffs ada ted to be laundered without starching an in- 'herently capable of retaining the desired finish in respect to flatness, folded form, and freedom from rumpling and creasing in use, and which will retain these properties although subjected to heat and mo sture and the other casualties of use.

I have elected to illustrate my invention as shown of the fold-over type.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is .an' elevation of a fold-over collar made according to my invention in its fiat state; H

Figure 2 is a pers ective of the outside of the left-hand end 0 a collar illustratingfa modification; 'I Figures 3,4 and 5 are respectively typical r ss sections f fold-over collar of dlfi'er- 110 cut fabric construction each embodying the invention; and v Figure 6 is an elevation of the infolded face of a fold-over cuff made according to the invention.

Referring now to Fig. 1, a separate collar. of the fold-over type as therein shown coinprises one or more plies 1 of a suitable textile fabric cut and appropriately edge-folded to any desired shape, for example that shown, and sewed at 2 along the margin to provide material for a band portion 3 and a top portion 4, which may be integral, as shown, or separate. The band 3 of which the inside surface appears in Fig. 1, may be provided with any suitable button-holes 5 and, if desired, an attached flat button 6. If the collar is to be a soft collar, I prefer to employ a fabric or fabrics of sufficient body and stiffness, as known in the art, and the whole thickness of the collar may be supplied by one layer of multi-ply fabric, by two layers of such or of single-ply fabric, or by any desired number of separate plies.

For instance, in Fig. 5, I have shown in cross-section a collar made of two layersa and b of which at least one may be a thick heavy canvas, or a piqu, or other two-ormore-ply interwoven linen or cotton cloth, the overlaid blanks being turned in at the edges 7 and stitched at 2. Fig. 3 shows a structure of one layer of thicker and heavier multiply cloth, the edge being bound by a tape 9 and stitched at 10. In Fig. 4 the structure is the same as that of Fig. 5, except that the band 3 and top 1 are made separately and sewed together at 11, the top having one ply overlapped on the other at 12, for an edge finish.

In either (or any other suitable) construction, the band portion 7 so treated as to resist soiling, rumpling, and the absorption of moisture, by the application to it of, and impregnation of the interstitial spaces between the fibres of its yarns with, a suitable water-proof cemcntitious and adhering material characterized by resistance to solution in or very diflicult solubility in soapy or alkaline washing liquids, and resistance to change by moderate heat, such as ironing heat. This material may be any material adapted to secure the specified results, but I prefer to'employ a plastic, cementitious adhesive solution of cellulose in a solvent. Cellulose acetate dissolved to a limpid consistency in acetone (or other suitable volatilizable solvent), but having sufficient cellulose acetate in solution to leave a substantial residue upon evaporation of the solvent, is an advantageous and preferred material adapted to remain unchanged through oftenrepeated washing or ironing, or both. The treating solution may be suitably varied, however. without departing from my inven tion, by the addition of or substitution of ingredients, for the purpose of altering the consistency, stiffness, resilience or other qualities of the residue.

In some cases, I may employ other trans-- lucent, transparent or white cemetitious substances. For example, I may prepare a solution containing about 30% of casein in water by warmin and the addition of a small quantity of ammonia, providing a thick paste, which is applied to the collar, allowed to dry partially, and then subjected to the action of a bath containing formaldehyde in about 20% solution. The resulting reaction coagulates the casein application to a waterproof, elastic and stiff consistency adapted to withstand laundr processes. I

Whatever particular waterproof impregnating agent is chosen, its consistency, quantity and mode of application are such as to reach the effect of waterproofing, smoothing, and sufiiciently stiffening the fabric to cause it elastically to resist rumpling, soiling and wetting, and to remain still when moist.

Preferably the application to the fabric is translucent or, transparent, so that the color and texture of the treated fabric is not materially altered, but is displayed beneath and through the applied materials, the application of which sometimes may be increased or repeated, if desired, so as to form a perceptible coating when dry. The object is not to stiffen the cloth to board-like stiffness, or necessarily to fill its textural interstices, but to impregnate and protect the component yarns so as to stiffen them and render the fabric impermeable to moisture except under prolonged agitation and soaking. Fabric so treated may be laundered by usual methods without starching, flat drying and pressin with a comparatively cold iron being sucient to restore the flatness and good appearance of the treated parts after washmg. I

I have explained and claimed another utilization of the generic type of such applications to fabric garments in my application Serial No. 206,389, filed December 10, 1917 of which this application is a continuation in part.

I utilize the waterproofing and stiffening effect of the impregnation for the present purpose by limiting its application in such a way as to determine a place of fold or other edge of the garment. In Fig. 1, for instance, the top edge 15 of the band part of the collar determines the fold f, Figs. 3 to 5, and according to my invention, this edge is determined by one boundary of the impregnation, the top 4 being. as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 untreated. The fold line, if the collar is desired to have a stifi or semi-stiff top, may be defined on both edges, the top being treated to the line 16, Fig. 5, parallel with the line 15. The same treatment may be Ill ' ressed in folded form employed for a cuff 20, nated areas 21, 21 being treated place 22 to determinea more flexible line forfolding. collar or cufl, when the structure is of more than one ply, the impregnation may, if desired, be confined to one ply only, or less than the whole number. While the impregnation is indicated inthe drawings by shading, it will be understood that it is effectively little apparent or ing upon the degree of treatment, except as a flatter and a stiffer place in the texture of the'garment as a whole, and preferably, because of this, extends through the entire thickness of the collar or cufi'.

In the case of the cufi and the two-ormore separate-ply types of collars such as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the impregnating agent may be, and preferably is employed in suflicient consistency and quantlty to Fig. 6, the impregstick together the separate plies at the impregnated areas. I may employ any desired mode of applying the impregnation conducive to uniformity and accuracy, such as application by a printing block charged with theliquid substance, by brushing, by padding, or byv spraying; application through a stencil delimiting the area; a plication throu h hollow dies stopping of? the remainder of the fabric not intended to be impregnated, in the manner of press-dyeing.

In either case I may prevent inaccuracy in the edges of the impregnated area by treating the adjacent portions of the fabric not intended to be impregnated with a resist. For instance, the fold lines 7 of the collars referred to or the line 22 of the cuff 20 may first be treated by application to them of a water-soluble starch solution of pasty consistency, by printing, stencil or otherwise; dried; and then the impregnating agent may be applied, dried'in shape, andthe resist removed by washing. After impre nation, the collar or cuff may be dried in orm, 01'- after drying, or both.

efore package for sale, I prefer to wash and laundry-iron the treated collars or cuffs, this step eifectuall removing the odor, if any, of the solvent or the treating substance.

My inventionin any ofits forms mayalso include, see Fig. 2, an application of the waterproof cementitious material to-portions of the collar or cufl subjected toexcessive we in use, such'as the corner of the overh fging top at 25, as shown in Fig. 2, or to the edges of limp areas, for the pu ose of aiding these areas to remain flat, or eat in some particular form; for example, the inturned edge 12 of the top layer 1 Fig. 4, may be so treated; or an other line or boundary may be so treated? Collars and cufl's according to my invention are laundered by washing and fiat d mg, and if desired also by ironing, and in separated by an un-v In the case of either Wholly invisible, dependan area terminatingat an edge ,tion, the band portion either caseretain indefinitely their flatness, their shape and their resilient stifl'ne'ss (at the band portion of the collars, for instance) where stiffness is desired.

I claim:

1. A collar or cuff of textile fabric having therein an area impregnated with a waterproof cementitious material and an area-in its natural state, the boundar between said areas being at a predetermined lace therein.

2. A collar or cuff of textile abric having ada ted to constitute aline'of fold and rendered stifier than the remainder of the fabric by impreg nation of the fabric of said area w th a water-proof cementitious substance.

3. A collar or' cuff comprising a homogeneous textile fabric layer having an area terminating at an edge adapted to constitute a line of fold and rendered stiffer than the remainder of the fabric by impregnation of the fabric of said area with a waterproof cementitious substance.

4. A fold-over collar or cufl of textile fabric having therein a delimited area only resulting from uniform impregnation of the fabric with a resilient substance, said area ending at a boundary between impregnated and unimpregnated fabric, said boundary determining the position of the fold in the collar or cuff.

5. A fold-over collar or out! of textile fabric having therein a delimited area only resulting from uniform impregnation of the fabric with a cellulose residue insoluble in aqueous, soa y or alkaline washing liquids,

said area en ing at a boundary between impregnated and unimpregnated fabric, said oundary determining the position of the fold in the collar or cuff.

6. A fold-over collar or cuff of textile fabric having a band ortion and a top poriiein stiffened, waterproofed and held smooth y interstitial impregnation of its component yarns with the residue of a locally applied water-proof substance, the portion of the collar or cuff adjacent the impregnated area and constitutmg the fold line being in its natural unimpregnated state.

7. A fold-over collar or cuff of textile fabric having a band portion and a top portion, the band portion bein stiffened, waterproofed and g pregnation of its component yarns with 'a held-smooth y interstitial. im-

residue containing cellulose acetate, the portion of the collar or'cuif adjacent the 'i m--. p'egnated area and constituting the fold line ing in its natural uniinpregnated state.

8. A fold-over collar or cufl. having a band and a top, the band being stiflened, water-proofed andheld in she by mmstitial impregnation with a trans ueent water"- proof cementitious 'pregnation ending plastic J at a lme, j

' and constituting an edge from and over which the top folds.

9. A fold-over collar or cuff having a band of a plurality of plies and a top, the band being stiffened, water-proofed and the plies cemented together and held in shape by interstitial im regnation with a translucent water-proo cementitious plastic material, the impregnation ending at a predetermined line, and constituting an edge from and over which the top folds.

10. A fold-over collar or cuff having an integral band and top of continuous textile fabric, the band being impregnated with a I only water-proof cementitious material terminating at a line adapted to demark and inducetion adapted to resistsolution in water and alkaline 'wash liquids, and the action of moderate heat.

13. The art of making textile fabric collars or cufl's comprising applying to and interstitially impregnating the component yarns of a predetermined area of the fabric 3 only with asolution of cellulose acetate in a Volatile solvent, and drying the treated fabric in'the desired form.

14. The art of making textile fabric collars or cuffs comprising applying to and interstitially impregnating the component yarns of a predetermined area of the fabric only with a solution of cellulose acetate in a volatile solvent, drying the treated fabric in the desired form, and washing and ironing the finished articles.

15. An article of wearing apparel made of separate layers or plies of fabrics secured together by an intermediate layer or layers of binding material, th said layer or layers of binding material being omitted along a narrow zone to form a portion of increased flexibility along which the article is adapted to fold.

16. A folding collar made of separate layers or plies of fabric forming both the neckband and folding portions of the collar, said layers or plies being secured together by an intermediate layer or layers of binding inaterials except at the fold line of the col- Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 30th day of August, 1921.

FRANCIS W. TULLY. 

